REGISTER NOW!Refrigerated Foods Association

Fall SymposiumSeptember 24 - 26, 2018

Columbus, Ohio

Thank You RFA Technical & Industry Development Committees!

The RFA Fall Symposium is an exciting three-day event that combines expert speaker presentations with educational tours to offer attendees a unique learning experience. This year’s event will take place in Columbus, Ohio on

September 24 – 26. As you will see, the 2018 Fall Symposium includes sessions that are of interest to all facets of the industry and your business.

A highlight of this year’s Fall Symposium will be visits to food ingredient and equipment plants around Columbus, Ohio. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy lunch and tour four areas at Ohio State University’s Food Science Center; visit Mettler Toledo’s Masstron Plant; observe food slicing and assembly equipment at Grote Company, followed by a happy hour; tour Nestlé Quality Assurance Center Dublin and learn about their role in food safety; tour Coalescence’s seasoning blending facility, which employs production, Quality Control and specialty packaging functions; and tour Kroger Bakery. Presentations on industry trends and the Technical Forum will provide insights and clarity for all attendees.

Networking opportunities will also be a highlight of this year’s Fall Symposium. You will have the opportunity to spend three days in the company of other professionals in the refrigerated foods industry, sharing and learning from each other.

The 2018 Fall Symposium promises to be of great value to you and your company. Whether you are involved in food safety and quality control, executive management, or marketing and operations, this event will offer valuable information and insights that can be applied to your own business. You can’t afford to miss this year’s Fall Symposium!

SPACE IS LIMITED – ONLY THE FIRST 55 PEOPLE WHO REGISTER WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND!

RFA Technical Committee

2018 Symposium

Martin Mitchell, RFA Technical DirectorBill Schwartz, Technical Committee Chair

Abel Losoya, Tamlin SoftwareAdam Clinger, Sandridge Food CorporationAhmad Tahajod, Sandridge Food CorporationAmanda Cross, House of ThallerAndy Hwang, USDAArezou Rahbari, Keybrand Foods, a Div. of Freshstone Brands, Inc.Autumn Call, House of ThallerBart Shoaf, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, LLCBob Lijana, Hans Kissle ComapnyBob Sapeta, AES-NilmaBrian Salone, PSSIBridget Burkhardt, RA JonesBrittany Wiebe, EcolabBryan Westerby, The Suter Company, Inc.Candy York, Lakeview FarmsCarmelo DiSalvo, Prime Foods, Inc.Catherine Trawiniski, House of ThallerChris Niese, Lakeview Farms, Inc.Chris Biba, Garden-Fresh Foods, Inc.Claudia Stohrer, Boston Salads & Prepared FoodsDan Lafontaine, HACCP Consulting GroupDavid Callandro, Dierbergs Markets, Inc.David Horowitz, DuPont Nutrition & HealthDavid Weslow, The Suter Company, Inc.Dillon Drury, Dierbergs MarketsDon Perkins, Mrs. Stratton’s SaladsDylan Houck, Prime Foods

George Bradford, Mrs.Stratton’s Salads, Inc. Geraldo Pena, Boston Salads & Prepared FoodsJack French, Mrs. Grissom’s SaladsJane Campbell, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, LLCJanet Rowat Kraiss, The Suter Company, Inc.Jay Mayr, Reser’s Fine FoodsJeanne Gannon, Deli Star CorporationJennifer Shrader, Atlantic Coast MarketingJimmy D. Daskaleas, Walker’s Food ProductsJoel Riegelmayer, Sandridge Food Corp.John Bowles, Atlantic Coast MarketingJohn King, Apis Group, LLCJohn Wyatt, DuPont Nutrition & HealthKaren Bishop-Carbone, Boston Salads & Prepared FoodsKeith McIntosh, Mrs. Grissom’s SaladsKiersten Howe, EcolabKrista Gilroy, Northwest Gourmet Food ProductsLauren Raschke, House of ThallerLili Lawry, PSSILisa Duer, Ventura FoodsLori Bare, Winter Gardens Quality FoodsMark Broomwell, Providence EngineeringMark Doyle, ASK Foods, Inc.Matt Hundt, Third Wave BioactivesMegan Babb, EcolabMelanie Marcelletti, Delaval CleaningMike Langlois, DEMACOMike Weber, Deli Star CorporationNadege Mix, Lakeview FarmsNicole Poquette, House of Thaller

RFA Industry Development Committee

Norby Diaz, Lakeview FarmsOscar Santos, St. Clair FoodsPam Largen, Knott FoodsPat Cauller, ChemetallPatrick Carroll, IMA Dairy & FoodPatrick Denor, Lakeview Farms, Inc. Rebecca Howell, Lakeview Farms, Inc. Richard Walsh, Ecolab Robert Proudfoot, Mrs. Grissom’s SaladsRobert Savage, HACCP Consulting GroupRoger Beers, PSSIRuth Vassey, ASK Foods, Inc. Scott Bunse, Dierbergs MarketsShegun Olaoshebikan, Fuji Food Products, Inc.Steve Loehndorf, Reser’s Fine FoodsSteve Martin, RA JonesSteve Moore, Brand FormulaSusan Quesnel, Harry’s Fresh FoodsSusan Westphal, Dunbar ProductsThor Wentzek, Reser’s Fine FoodsTimm Miller, PSSITodd Brown, Blount Fine FoodsTravis Berger, Lantana FoodsVenkat Munukutla, Michael Foods, Inc.

John Bowles, Atlantic Coast MarketingWes Thaller, House of Thaller Mark Brown, Fresh Creative Foods

Symposium Highlights

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITYThe RFA will have the opportunity to visit The Ohio State University’s Department of Food Science and Technology. At OSU, attendees will have the opportunity to tour four areas.

Advanced Food Processing Technology Pilot Plant:The Ohio State University Advanced Food Processing Pilot Plant houses various pilot scale advanced food processing technology equipment such as a high pressure processor for processing meats, fruits and vegetable type products and an ultra shear technology equipment for beverage processing. OSU personnel works collaboratively with the food processors in the development of cutting edge technologies that assist the industry in formulating and preserving various minimally processed “clean-label” foods with minimal or no use of preservatives. The facility puts a particular emphasis on the application of high-pressure based technologies for food pasteurization, or extended shelf life acidified and low-acid foods. On-going research efforts also focus on novel application of pressure technology for crystallization of lipid foods as well as developing a continuous flow process for preservation of liquid beverages. The pilot plant nature of the facility enables the companies to sponsor research with OSU in developing industrial scale prototype concept products. Food Perception & Liking Laboratory: The sensory testing facility at Ohio State University has unique space dedicated to the research of new sensory methodologies and execution of more traditional testing paradigms. Included in this space is a 10-booth traditional testing facility used to support teaching and research efforts as well as industry contract work. In addition, novel testing space includes an Immersive Testing Laboratory in which relevant contextual information can be introduced into the testing paradigm as well as a Psychophysiology Laboratory wherein biometric information is used to study consumer liking and behavior.

Food Industries Center:Ohio State’s Food Industries Center offers contract applied research, short courses, and other services for the food industry, entrepreneurs, and related institutions. The center has two distinct pilot plants which are fully equipped for product and process development of foods in the following categories: beverage, bakery, dairy, membrane filtered, extruded, thermally processed (acidified and low-acid canned foods), frozen, refrigerated, and freeze dried. These state and federally inspected facilities are available for client pilot trials or contract research through the center.

The Meat Science Teaching Laboratory:The Meat Science Teaching Laboratory is a fully functioning and inspected USDA-FSIS meat processingfacility that employs undergrads to work and develop skills and knowledge for future employment. Production activities include harvest and sample collection, carcass composition and fabrication, fat and muscle quality assessment, chemical composition, mechanical tenderness assessment, product development, and sensory panel capabilities. The meat lab produces several commercial products, some of which are supplied to various kitchens on campus as well as outside wholesale accounts.

Symposium Highlights

Grote Company manufactures reliable, top-quality food slicing and assembly equipment. Grote’s trusted equipment and lines are built strong to make pizza, sandwich and food slicing processes faster, safer, more consistent and less expensive. With a personal touch and enduring commitment to Grote’s

customers and employees, Grote Company collaborate as one team to solve tough problems. Grote Company proudly serves not only the equipment they build, but also the people who operate and depend on it.

During the tour of Grote Company’s headquarters, you will see their manufacturing, assembly and shipping capabilities. Then you will see select equipment running in the onsite demo facility, which allows customers to test the equipment with their products and operating conditions. Stay for a quick reception with drinks and pizza from Donato’s, whose corporate office is also located on the Grote Company campus.

Kroger has operated a bakery in Columbus since 1907. The Columbus Branch, located at 457 Cleveland Avenue, was built in 1927 by the Kroger Co. The Bakery is a manufacturing facility, which produces snacks, crackers, cookies and fresh bakery items such as bread, buns and donuts. After State Avenue closed its bakery in 1960, the Columbus Bakery became the oldest continuing operation in Baked Foods.

Through the years, Columbus Bakery has consistently serviced over 500 stores with fresh bakery products and over 2,230 stores with cookies, crackers and snacks.

Kroger’s Columbus Bakery has 465,000 square feet of floor space. Other statistics about the Columbus Bakery include: Laid end to end, one hours production on the Saltine Line would extend 26 miles; 41,450,000 pounds of bread and bun flour is used annually; 31,500,000 pounds of cookie and cracker flour is used annually; and 1 production line produces 7,800 loaves of bread an hour.

GROTE COMPANY

KROGER BAKERY

Mettler Toledo is a global manufacturer and marketer of precision instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. The company has strong worldwide leadership positions. A significant majority of their instrument sales are in segments in which they are the global leader. In addition to a broad product offering, Mettler Toledo has one of the largest global sales and service organizations among precision instrument companies.

Mettler Toledo focuses on the high value-added segments of their markets by providing innovative instruments that often integrate various technologies including application-specific solutions for customers. They design

their instruments not only to gather valuable data but also to facilitate the processing and transfer of this data into customers’ management information systems.

During the Fall Symposium, the RFA group will visit the Masstron Plant, which is located in a northern suburb of Columbus Ohio. At this facility, Mettler Toledo produces bench scales, floor scales, truck scales

and rail scales. Bench scales and floor scales will be set up so that our group can look at products used in the food industry. Mettler Toledo’s newest forms of data collection and formulation software will also be shown. The group will have the opportunity to see how the truck scales and floor scales are manufactured.

Mettler Toledo hopes to have the Safeline Van set up for the RFA visit. This would have a number of their x-ray and metal detection products.

Symposium Highlights

With headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, Coalescence has been producing high quality seasoning blends, nutritional premixes, compound flavors and stabilizer systems used in fresh, frozen, prepared foods and beverages since 2005. This world class facility exceeds Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) requirements for good manufacturing practices and employs production, Quality Control and specialty packaging functions.

By combining cutting edge science with creative solutions, Coalescence’s research scientists collaborate with customers from “conceptualization to commercialization”, to deliver clean label, healthy, and delicious products to consumers around the globe. That’s the Coalescence promise!

COALESCENCE

METTLER TOLEDO

Symposium Highlights

NESTLE QUALITY ASSURANCE CENTERSince 1998, Nestlé Quality Assurance Center (NQAC) Dublin is an ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory which analyzes food and beverage products to verify compliance with regulatory, food safety and quality standards. Their state-of-the-art facility is the largest and most sophisticated in the Nestlé network of 24 NQACs worldwide

and the only one located in North America. In 2017, they were the first laboratory to receive the Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Silver award by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). NQAC Dublin has supported Nestlé, the largest food and beverage company in the world, for over three decades and recently expanded services to businesses outside of Nestlé. They offer food manufacturers, retailers, ingredient and raw material suppliers over 150 unique analytical methods in-house with industry-leading service to support their business’ food safety needs. After a short introduction of NQAC Dublin’s role in food safety, our tour of the 82,000 sq. ft. facility will include the state-of-the-art chemistry and microbiology laboratories and a walk through of a ‘life of a sample’.

RFA attendees will have a wonderful networking opportunity at the dine-around dinner on Monday evening. You can select the restaurant of your choice, and enjoy fabulous local cuisine with members in a smaller group setting. The Dine-Around will take place after our welcome reception on Monday evening.

Voted “Best Steakhouse” in the city, Mitchell’s Steakhouse offers the best steak, seafood and wine in Columbus, Ohio. Their hand selected prime steaks are aged to perfection.The house made side dishes don’t just complement, they wow. The wine list, which features 200 of the world’s finest labels, earned the 2014 Wine Spectator award of excellence. Mitch-ell’s is The Modern American Steakhouse. Entrees range from $25-60.

Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus offers modern American fare, with all-world influences. Chef Nate Crockett is always hard at work creating masterpieces using beer and the freshest ingredients. Elevator’s menu has something for everyone, in-cluding a unique selection of house cut steaks, fresh fish, chicken, and pork dishes. Entrees range from $15-35.

Due Amici allows diners to enjoy a meal in its sleek brick-walled dining room. Their menu features classic Italian dishes as well as modern and creative twists on your favorite lunch, brunch and dinner items. Entrees range from $15-37.

All three dine-around restaurants are located in Downtown Columbus, so we will plan to walk to dinner on Monday evening. Our reception at the hotel is 5:00-6:00 pm, and dinner reservations are for 6:15 pm. The Dine-Around is an optional event, and attendees will be responsible for their

own bill. Please indicate your preferred restaurant on the registration form.

An Uber ride from the John Glenn International Airport to the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel is ap-proximately 12 minutes and the average fair is $10 - 14 on UberX. Please remember that the bus will take you back to the airport on Wednesday at 1:00 pm for afternoon flights. If you wish to return to the hotel and extend your stay in Columbus, the bus will return to the hotel after the airport drop-off. If you are driving, the hotel offers valet parking to all registered guests and guests attending on site events. The current parking cost is $28 per day. For those guests not spending the night, a day rate of $23 per a vehicle is available.

Your registration fee covers the welcoming reception on Monday (2 drink tickets provided); breakfast buffet for one during your entire stay at the Renassaince Hotel; lunch on Tuesday; and the group dinner on Tuesday night (2 drink tickets provided, then cash bar). You will be responsible for your own meal at the dine-around event on Monday evening.

DINE AROUND, COLUMBUS

GETTING AROUND, AND OTHER INFO

Symposium Highlights

Featured Speakers

RFA TECHNICAL FORUMwith RFA Technical Director, Martin Mitchell Join us on Monday at 3:15 for an information-packed session focusing on the most important technical issues of the day. Technical Director Martin Mitchell will serve as moderator for this invaluable session for anyone involved in food safety, regulatory compliance and all things technical. Come prepared to ask questions and share! In addition to preparing you for what you need to know now, this session will address future RFA projects and programs that will help you do your job better and more efficiently. Your feedback and ideas are needed! Help shape the course of future RFA endeavors by actively participating in this 90-minute session. The Tech-nical Forum will be followed by a Welcome Reception at the Hotel.

CURRENT TRENDS THAT HAVE RESHAPED THE FOOD INDUSTRYwith Dr. Alvarez Dr. Alverez will kick-off the 2018 Fall Symposium with an industry presenta-tion titled, “Current Trends that have Reshaped the Food Industry”. The landscape in the food industry is continuously shifting as a result of the ever changing trends in the eating habits of consumers. In recent years, some food and beverage categories have shown expedited growth, as a result of a variety of consumer driven trends. This presentation will define many of the most prominent trends, such as clean label, healthy, functional, organic, and food safety, along with the opportunities and challenges that each pose for the food industry. Dr. Valente Alvarez, Director of the Food Industries Center at OSU, has over 30 years of combined experience in industry and academia. His expertise includes management and new product development in the food industry as well asin extension, research and teaching. His professional experience includes positions as Professor and Head of the Food Processing Pilot Plants at ENCB-IPN, Mexico; Head of the Food Technolo-gy Section at the National Laboratories of Industrial Development in Mexico; Program Training Coordinator at US-AID and Michigan Partners of the Americas, and Corporate Coordinator of Quality Assurance and Product Development at Country Fresh, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan.

2018 Fall Symposium Schedule

Monday, September 24, 2018

12:30 p.m. Registration Open at Hotel

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Current Trends that have Reshaped the Food Industry; Dr. Alvarez

3:00 - 3:15 p.m. Break

3:15 - 4:45 p.m. Technical Forum with Technical Director, Martin Mitchell

5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Welcome Reception at Hotel

6:00 pm. Depart for Dine-Around Restaurants: Mitchell’s Steak House, Due Amici, Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

7:00 a.m. Breakfast at Hotel

7:30 a.m. Load the Bus

7:45 a.m. Depart for OSU

8:00 a.m - 12 noon Arrive and Tour Ohio State University

12:00 p.m. Lunch at OSU

12:45 p.m. Depart for Kroger Bakery

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Arrive and Tour Kroger Bakery

2:30 p.m. Depart for Coalescence

2:45 - 4:00 p.m. Arrive at Coalescence for Overview & Tour

4:00 p.m. Depart for Grote

4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Tour and Happy Hour at Grote

6:00 p.m. Board Bus

6:15 p.m. Return to hotel

6:45 p.m. Group Dinner and Networking at Hotel

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

7:00 a.m. Breakfast at Hotel

7:30 a.m. Load the Bus

7:45 a.m. Depart for NQAC

8:30 - 10:00 a.m. Overview and Tour of Nestle 10:00 a.m. Depart for Mettler Toledo

10:30 a.m - 12 noon Tour of Mettler Toledo

12:00 p.m. Bus departs for Columbus International Airport

1:00 p.m. Bus drops attendees off at Airport 1:15 p.m. Return to Hotel

1:30 p.m. Arrive at Hotel

Fall Symposium Schedule: The Symposium will kick-off with at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24th and will end at 1:00 pm on Septem-ber 26th. Participants may pick up their name badges and materials starting at 12:30 p.m. at the hotel on Monday, September 24th.

Registration Fees: The fee includes all transportation to off-site events and tours, breakfast buffet, lunch on Tuesday, the Welcome Reception on Monday (2 drink tickets provided) and dinner on Tuesday evening (2 drink tickets, then cash bar). The fees are as follows (prices are per person):

RFA Members Early Registration Fee for Event (Received ON or BEFORE August 3, 2018): Payment by Check: $445 Payment by Credit Card: $465 RFA Members Registration Fee for Event (Received AFTER August 3, 2018): Payment by Check: $495 Payment by Credit Card: $515 To register, please fill out the attached registration form and return it to the RFA office along with payment. Forms should be received no later than August 31, 2018. Confirmation will be sent by e-mail approximately two weeks before event. Full details and online regis-tration also available at www.refrigeratedfoods.org.

Travel and Accommodations: Sleeping accommodations are not included in the registration fee. Rooms have been reserved at the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, 50 North Third Street, Columbus, OH, 43215. To make your room reservations at this hotel, please visit https://book.passkey.com/go/rfafallsymposiumsep18. The RFA’s discounted group rate is $152/night. The hotel registration cut-off date is August 31, 2018. Valet parking is available at the hotel for $28.00/day. Complimentary Internet access is provided in the guest rooms, as well as on the coach bus as we travel on the tours. The hotel is located 12 minutes from the airport. The average rate for an Uber is approximately $10-14. Transportation back to the airport will be provided by the RFA at the end of our tour on Wednesday (arriving to the airport at approximately 1:00 pm).

Dress Code: Please bring a jacket or sweater in case the meeting rooms are chilly, and wear closed-toe shoes. Nestlé QAC requires that all attendees wear long pants to their ankle and no extremly high heels; legs, ankles and feet must be covered.

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Company: _____________________________________________ Phone:___________________________

Address: ______________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ____________________Please fill out the attendee name(s) below and note all sessions each attendee will be participating in.

Attendee 1: __________________________________________

Dine Around Restaurant Choice: Mitchell’s Steakhouse Elevator Brewery Due Amici Not ParticipatingE-mail address: ______________________________________

Attendee 2: __________________________________________

Dine Around Restaurant Choice: Mitchell’s Steakhouse Elevator Brewery Due Amici Not ParticipatingE-mail address: ______________________________________

Payment: Check-payable to Refrigerated Foods Association

Credit Card: Visa Mastercard AMEX Discover

Card #:___________________________________________________ Expiration Date: ________________

Name on Card:_____________________________________________

Card Security Code/CVV*:________ *For Visa, Mastercard or Discover, it is a 3-digit number that appears to the right of your card number on the back. For AMEX. it is a 4-digit number that appears on the front of your card.

Billing Address: (Must match Credit Card if different from above):______________________________________________________________________ City:________________________________________ State:______ Zip:____________ Phone: _______________________ Signature:__________________________________________________________________________

TO REGISTER: Return this form with payment by mail to Refrigerated Foods Association at 3823 Roswell Road, Suite 208, Marietta, GA 30062 or by fax at (678) 550-4504 or by email to

info@refrigeratedfoods.org.

2018 Registration Form